Turn It Up (Callista)

Whistling a tune, the werewolf made his way up the cliff-face on bare feet with a worn-out back-pack on his back. The shoes he had worn before he started the journey, he had discarded long before he had started. The canyon was large, a cluster of unending massive, long red rock formations that were sunburnt, rusted red and white from the sunlight except for melted snow that had formed on the peaks. The river wound around the rocks in a huge circle like a loop with spatters of frost on the surface. The sun was high in the sky, shining its warmth onto the edges and peaks of the mountains. There had been snow earlier but it had all melted as the heat was so intense. He continued to walk upwards, back hunching and leaning forwards to make it easier to walk as the incline grew steeper and steeper. Darius crouched down, one hand gripping the edge while the other raised up to shield his eyes as his fierce gaze scoured the formations in front of him. He was searching for shelter nearby from the sun. A ledge he could hide under or a hole that had been eased into the cliff-face that was big or deep enough for him to fit in. His crisp, white shirt was already drenched with sweat, sticking to his skin. His black hair looked windswept and ruffled, with spikes jutting out here and there. His face was drenched in sweat. The pants he was wearing was riddled with grit and dust from the walk. And it was shredded slightly as earlier he had sat in a hole in the cave to hide from the sun only to find a rattlesnake. Usually, Darius would’ve heard it or seen it but he had been fiddling with the device he’d made. He’d managed to find a pair of bass speakers he’d found in the garbage in the alleyway. That would act as the medium for the sound to travel through. Then he’d rummaged through the items he had lying around in his apartment and found a pair of head-phones. Some very old head-phones that were scratched, the paint having peeled off but they still worked and that was what he wanted. The only thing he’d needed was something to connect the head-phones and speakers so that sound would travel through it. And he’d found it. A stereo. He had ripped up the stereo, taking out the metal casing on the side and the speakers on the inside, re-installing the bass speakers he’d found, then downloaded some songs into it. He scrolled down, flicking through song after song. He needed something that was loud and high-pitched. Something that could be projected at high levels that could break glass. If all that sound was concentrated in one direction, at one opponent it could destroy them. But he needed something special for that and that kind of equipment was out of his reach.

That was why he had come here where the chances of anyone coming would be close to nothing and he wouldn’t be hurting the unsuspecting ears of any of his fellow pack-mates. There was the chance they could be here but it was very slim. While he’d been testing if the head-phones were working he hadn’t noticed the snake slithering into the cave until he’d twisted to search for the screw-driver he’d dropped. The snake had lunged for his ankle as the screw-driver had hit it and he’d moved his foot just in time. Its fangs had sliced through his pants leg making it tear at the bottom. He’d grabbed its neck with a hand with a vice grip, walking outside and with a powerful swing, thrown the snake high into the air far, far away into the distance. He hadn’t wanted to kill it because he knew it had just been startled. Darius was a crafty wolf. He had studied the blue-prints, making note of important details such as how to control and adjust the volume of the sound, the components needed to make the sound go through and the listening device. There was no way he could have gotten the tools or resources to make the weapon exactly as it’d been outlined in the blueprint. So he settled for what he could do. Maybe it wouldn’t burst eardrums or blood vessels but causing nausea wasn’t a bad bet. And Darius was a gambling man. What was life without some danger? Now to test it. He chuckled to himself. It’d been a long time since he’d used himself as a test subject. He knelt down on the ground on one knee, pulling the back-pack off with one hand and set it on the ground with a loud thud and started to pull everything out (the stereo, headphones and a tall wine glass). He had to take everything apart so that it’d fit inside. He hooked up the headphones to the stereo, connecting the cable it to a hole he’d cut near the top. He started to change, skin rippling as black fur replaced it. His muscles bulged, spine lengthening and cracking as he transformed into his primal form which was a hulking, muscular black-furred beast with arms and legs the size of tree trunks. His hearing was highly sensitive in this form. A vampire’s, he estimated, would be lower but not too low. So any noise that would make his ears hurt would do the same to a vampire’s. He just had to play with the volume to see how high it could go before it started making his ears ring. He sat down placing the headphones over his head and used the tip of his claw to tap the volume to make it go higher. Wincing, he pulled away keeping the head-phones far away from his ears. Yep. That was high. Cupping his hands around his muzzle, he tilted his head back slightly and started to bark in inconsistent, scattered waves. It grew louder and louder until it echoed around the canyon, reverberating off the cliff walls in a chaotic cacophony. Soon, the barking turned into a proud, passionate howl, deep and powerful that rose and rose, climbing and climbing until it filled the air as it became richer and richer in tone. Darius leaned forwards, listening for any sounds of his fellow werewolves or even a coyote or a fox. Nothing. His tail thumped the ground once and then twice, massive head lowering and he sniffed the air just to check again. Smelling nothing, he sat back down and turned up the volume, pressing the blunt side of one of his claws to the touch-screen to do so until the volume bar was higher than before.

Despite the season, in the canyon it persisted to be warm, that even snow could not last here. As she had approached the direction of the canyon she had seen snow and sleet blowing along behind her, only to be heated into humid rain and fall to the ground as water. But this far into the land of dry, red dirt, it was too hot even for rain but the air was still slightly humid. The beta walked this way, not really for any purpose than to escape the pack and get some exercise while looking around at what wilderness Lunari had to offer. She hadn't really been able to do that during her stay in Lucian's pack so far, even though she enjoyed clearing her head by getting away from people and visiting the most far out places was the best way to do that. It had taken a while to climb up the side of the rockface and reach the peak, a good hour or more laboriously pulling her body up the incline with her strong arms and a firm grip. At one point the rock had crumbled beneath her fingers and she had fallen, only a short drop but she had cut her outer thigh in the process though not too deep. It had bled some but she had simply took her wet cloth that she kept in her backpack for cooling herself down and tied it around the wounded limb. Her body would heal up perfectly fine in no time at all. Callista wore typical running attire, gym shoes, sports bra beneath a thin vest and shorts on her lower body. Before arriving at Sunset Canyon she had been running through forest, plains and fields, finding a release of energy was also a release for her stressed mind. Work and pack duties took a lot of effort, plus she had been on the lookout much more around her Alpha's pack and even while jogging through the unclaimed lands, keeping watch for the humans that had killed the male leader of the shifters as Lucian had instructed her to, and as always keeping an eye out for vampires. The extra workload was putting quite a strain on her body and mind, but she managed to keep fairly sane by taking time-out like this.

Now that she had climbed the cliff the ground was incredibly flat like a plateau although the terrain was still uneven with the rusted colored rocks. The view from up there was not incredible as the surroundings were all the same type of rock and soil, but the sheer size and expanse of the canyon was quite a surprise. Picking up a slow running pace again, her heartbeat raced faster as her hot blood pumped through her veins quicker to keep her muscles going. She was very lean, nothing but bones and muscle, and toned. A slight dampness collected on her skin of perspiration as the sun beat down. Callista looked to her left and watched the winding river below as she jogged along, squinting her eyes at the brightness reflected from the frost on its surface. Like that, it just seemed like one big slithering snake of bright light. Just as her injured leg began to throb with the exertion, a few barks and then a howl rang out through the canyon, or at least the part where she was. She slowed her pace so that the thudding of her feet did not interfere with her hearing. There was no mistaking that it was a werewolf, and a male she knew, Warrior Darius. A human would perhaps think the sound was just a normal wolf, but to the trained ear it was clear. But what was Darius doing out here, calling out in the light of day? Out of curiosity, and to make sure her packmate wasn't in any trouble, she changed course and set about tracking the warrior. After what must have been perhaps 5 minutes, she had carefully descended a section of the cliff and stood outside a modest cave, peering in at an unusual scene. An old backpack on the floor and equally shambolic looking stereo and speaker set-up. He had obviously pulled bits apart and attached new parts together himself. Darius was in primal form, fiddling with headphones and the stereo. The volume was so loud that as she entered the cave her sensitive ears could hear the music he was playing through the headphones. Was it classical music, or something similar. No doubt he had some plans in mind for something, something dangerous perhaps which was why he came all the way out to a cave in the middle of nowhere. That didn't deter her, she continued into the cave and sniffed the air cautiously. Once deep enough into the shade she drooped her shoulders and let her backpack fall from her back and she dropped it in front of her, leaning over to open the zipper and get out her water bottle. As she did so she looked up to him, quirking a brow at the black beast. "Come all the way out here to enjoy some classical music? I didn't imagine you as a fan of the arts, Darius." The beta spoke with a playful jibe, though she was hot and tired and keeping aware of the fact that it was a weird situation.

“Let’s see...,” Darius growled, tapping the touch screen with the tip of his claw to change the song."Angel of Music…the sweet dulcet tones of the soprano of the theatre house…” He hitched one leg to his chest, putting his arm on his knee to stare the device before leaning forwards to get on one knee and bent down, tapping the top of the stereo with a fist. The screen came back to life but it was distorted. It was starting to flicker back to life but very slowly. He pushed himself up with two furry hands, both palms down and slowly straightened his legs until both of them were perfectly straight, the top of his head and back of his neck was touching the rocky ground. Closing his eyes, he straightened out his spine holding the position slowly and carefully lifting his body up using his palms with his legs still in the same position. He inhaled and exhaled through his nose, chest rising up and down as he controlled his breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. Once he had gotten into a steady position, he began to do push-ups slowly and steadily. Centuries upon centuries upon thousands of years of fights and training had helped toughen his body and muscles. It also helped that he was a werewolf. Though in his werewolf form he had more bulk on his upper torso which meant he had more weight to hold but he was a powerful wolf. And his shoulders, arms and hands combined together carried enough power to hold the rest of his body up. It was a habit of his, doing these exercises to make sure his body was healthy as he’d be using the muscles in his arms and the shoulders. Besides that, he’d be keeping his mind healthy as he’d have to focus and concentrate. It encouraged self-control and discipline. All very important things. Healthy mind, healthy body. And a mind was really a terrible thing to waste. Part of this mindset had been carried over from his time in the temple with the monks, his training habits. They had channeled his energy into something less destructive, taught him how to focus and be more controlled without destroying so many things purely out of rage. It’d been a long time ago but it was something he’d never forget. Chest heaving as he breathed out on the fifth push-up, Darius lifted one hand off the ground, placing it at a straight angle behind his back and tilted his body at a slanted angle to the right, lowering himself with his left arm so that he could use his shoulders and arm to support his weight. It was easier on his body. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the touch screen of the stereo. The touch-screen was flickering back to life. Brilliant. Soon, a feminine, high voice sounded from the headphones, filling up the area. The voice of a high-pitched opera singer.

Darius drew his legs inwards towards his chest, lowering his body onto the ground using his hands and arms and completed the movement in a backwards roll. As he did, he spotted someone in his range of vision and smelt the faint smell of blood. Darius started to stand on all fours his head lowering, one black-furred arm lifting off the ground slightly and his tail raising slightly. He could smell the scent. It was one of his pack-mates, the Beta Callista. Darius lowered his head to her respectfully and as a greeting as well. He was relieved to see that it was a fellow werewolf and not any other race only because it was already an odd sight to see. He would not have wanted anyone but his pack-mates or another werewolf to see what he was doing because if it was another race, word would have spread like wildfire through conversations. Sure, they could have dismissed it as something odd and just left it at that but a vampire could have heard it and that was what he was most worried about. She was wearing an outfit, similar to the one she had worn at the gym and there was a piece of cloth tied around her leg. Darius guessed she had injured it somehow. Maybe on the edges of the cliffs? He could smell perspiration on her which he expected he supposed because it looked like she had been walking a lot and probably scaling the cliffs. At her words, he laughed a great booming laugh that echoed around the walls. He put a hand over the top of his head, running over it and over the back of his neck in a mock gesture of grooming himself and pretended to adjust a make-believe tie around his neck. He looked at her with a handsome dashing smile though he did not show his teeth,“Contrary to how I appear and act I am not a complete brute, my dear Beta. I am an avid devourer of all that is refined and cultured.” He was not entirely joking. He had a fondness for some art such as Roman artwork and was as much of a gentleman as he was wild. But he was far more suited to physical pursuits instead of intellectual ones. But he could appreciate them all the same. He gazed out at the opposite cliff face and murmured, “I dabbled in the arts a very long time ago. In Italy in a time where creativity and ingenuity flourished in the arts. Writers, musicians, singers, painters, sculptors…it was an interesting time. A very interesting time where I lost myself in many, many vices and pleasures. I was surrounded by arts, especially where painters and sculptors were concerned. And music was something I became very familiar with. The sound of the piano and the violin, the flute. And opera music…” He picked up the headphones in his hand and started to bend the middle straight, removing the black ear pads carefully so that the sound wasn’t blocked by it. While he was doing this he glanced at her as she got out the water bottle,“I’m here to test this. Have you ever played with sound? It can do crazy things to your body if it’s too loud and at the right pitch. Nausea, headaches, dizziness, even some ear drums rupturing and vampires are no exception. If I could focus all that sound for just vampires we could use that as a sneak attack then strike. Now what brings you all the way out here, Callista? Out for a stroll? Or…” He started to smirk,“Couldn’t resist seeing who the charming, irresistible devil was behind the howling and barking?”